Payment to MGNREGA workers to be done through DBT: Min

The Indian Government has said that in order to prevent leakages in the flagship rural job programme, all wage payments to MGNREGA workers will be made through Direct Benefit Transfer to bank accounts of the beneficiaries from April this year. Commenting on the issue, Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh told the media, “From April 1, 2016 all wage payments to MGNREGA workers will be done through DBT. Currently, 94 per cent of the wage payments are directly deposited in the account of beneficiaries.” “Among the reforms responsible for revival of MGNREGA are timely release of funds to states to provide work on demand, an electronic fund management system, consistent coordination between banks and post offices besides monitoring of pendency of payments,” he added. As per reports, the focus for the upcoming years will be on simplification and strengthening of procedures and a Master Circular is being issued which consolidates all key instructions from the central government on the implementation of the Act.